1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ice makers and more specifically to structures therein for clearing ice from the evaporator.
2. Background
Ice makers are well known in the art and typically make ice by flowing water over an electrically cooled evaporator. The water that is not frozen onto the evaporator is caught by a drain pan and recycled over the evaporator. When an ice sheet of a sufficient thickness has formed thereon, a hot gas defrost cycle is started causing the ice to melt partially around the exterior surface thereof whereupon its adhesion to the evaporator surface is lessened. The ice can then fall from the evaporator and into an ice bin positioned there below. However, a problem can occur where the ice sheet does not fall completely out of the evaporator or contacts and rests on the water drain pan and leans against the evaporator. Subsequent ice making cycles can result in an unwanted build up of ice on the evaporator and shut down of the ice maker.
Various strategies have been employed to insure that the ice sheet is fully and positively removed from the evaporator. A separate active mechanism is known to push the ice from the evaporator. However, such an approach adds further components resulting in an increased cost and a decreased reliability. The evaporator can also be maintained at an angle that is more conducive to the ice falling, i.e. at an angle between the vertical and the horizontal. However, such an angular positioning can result in an undesirable portion of internal ice maker volume being dedicated to the evaporator rather than ice storage and can negatively impact uniform cube formation. Accordingly, it would very desirable to have an ice removing structure that does not increase cost or complexity and that is space efficient.